Where I live, there is a large park. And in that park, there’s a huge hill where the city has built a wooden staircase up the hill.
I don’t know how high it is, but it is quite a climb. Every week, people will climb the staircase all the way up the side of this tall, tall hill in order to get to the top.
When you get to the top of the hill, it’s exhilarating because there’s this wonderful view. It’s quite an accomplishment.
But what invariably happens is that people will climb partway up the stairs and they’ll get to the first landing. They’ll stay there for a while and realize how hard the climb is. Then they give up and go back down to the bottom of the hill.
Only a few dedicated climbers will go all the way to the top and experience the feeling of accomplishment when they stand at the top of the hill.
Now, what does this have to do with a freelance copywriting business? Well, when you’re starting a freelance copywriting business — especially a B2B copywriting business — it’s a lot like climbing that hill.
There is a definite set of stairs, or steps to success, you need to take. It’s an uphill climb until you’re at the top — a successful working B2B copywriter making a great income.
It is a climb, and it takes hard work and determination. As much as you’d like, you really can’t avoid that reality. You don’t become successful on the first step, you become successful when you take the entire journey and get to the top of the hill.
Let me give you a recent example.
I got a phone call from a gentleman who was trying to start a B2B copywriting business and he was getting frustrated.
He had made a few cold calls to some companies. He left a few messages and no one returned his calls, so he quit.
As I talked to him, I realized what really happened is that he had given up after only climbing just a few steps. He was only partway up the hill.
I asked him if he had a website — he didn’t. He wanted to avoid the step of creating a website and just get a client instead. While I understood his desire, he was skipping some of the necessary steps that he needed to take.
I gave him some tips and strategies that I hope will help him realize two important things.
Number one, the specific steps you need to take to become a successful B2B copywriter. And number two, that it does take some hard work and determination.
Here’s another way to look at it. Let’s say for example that you wanted to become a real estate agent, a Realtor.
What steps would you need to take to become a Realtor? Well, you have to get some training and licensing in real estate.
Then, you’d need to find a broker who’s willing to take you on and hire you, followed by more training.
And when you sign up with a broker, you’re likely going to have to do a lot of prospecting. You probably can’t get away with just making a few cold calls to get a listing.
No, you’re probably going to have to do a lot of self-promotion, a lot of marketing, and a lot of prospecting because you’re new to the business and no one knows you yet.
And chances are, prospecting and marketing is going to be your number one job. Selling homes won’t be your career in the first few months as a real estate agent.
Just like copywriting, you’ve got to understand there are a lot of steps you need to take to become successful.
I do have some good news for you — the B2B copywriting business is actually a lot easier to get into than the real estate business.
You don’t need a special license but there are still steps you need to take. You need to get some training. You need to learn and understand the business. You’ve got to learn how to write effective copy.
But also, in the first few weeks and months of your business, you’re going to have to make a massive effort in prospecting, self-promotion, and marketing in order to land your first client. If you’re making cold calls, you’re going to have make dozens and dozens of cold calls.
If you’re promoting yourself in another ways, through online networking or email prospecting, you’re going to have to contact maybe dozens or hundreds of potential prospects before you land your first client because you’re new to the business and no one knows you yet.
It’s just something you need to expect to be successful. But once you’ve done the work, you’ll have the beginnings of a successful copywriting business.
So never forget when you are starting your copywriting business that there are steps you need to take. And, some of those steps require a lot of hard work and determination.
So keep that in mind when you’re at that stage where you’re trying to get your website up and you’re looking for a template and you’re writing copy for your own website, and it may seem like you’re not getting anywhere.
Getting your website up is a very, very important and crucial step to building your B2B copywriting business. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be a fancy site. It can be a very simple site but it’s a very important step to take.
It may not seem like you’re accomplishing much at the time, but believe me, you are taking a very important step.
And, keep that in mind when you contact 20 potential prospects. And, you get very little response or no response at all. You need to contact many more prospects. You’ve already taken a very important step.
But whatever it is, there are steps you need to take. And even though it may seem frustrating and it may seem like you’re spending a lot of time doing stuff that isn’t copywriting, you’ve got to keep your eye on the prize.
Don’t give up! You need to climb that hill and every step you take brings you closer and closer to the successful B2B copywriting business you want to build.
